Personal Finance

Parents with children in kindergarten through college are bracing themselves for a tumultuous start to the school year. As they look toward the higher education landscape today — and anticipate what it could be like years down the road, some parents may be wondering if saving for college is really worth it.  A  survey by

Yoshiyoshi Hirokawa | DigitalVision | Getty Images Retirement savers who took a mandatory distribution from a retirement account this year have a week to put the money back. The CARES Act, the coronavirus relief bill signed into law this spring, allows people with retirement accounts to skip required minimum distributions for 2020. RMDs are the

The U.S. Department of Education will automatically suspend payments for most student loan borrowers through the end of the year. Mark Chilton | iStock | Getty Images Most student loan borrowers don’t have to start making payments on their debt again until January 2021.  With Republicans and Democrats locked in a stalemate on the details of

Hill Street Studios | DigitalVision | Getty Images Some taxpayers are getting a surprise in the mail from the IRS: a notice indicating that they still owe money, even if they’ve paid. Earlier this spring, when many IRS workers — as well as many other employees — were told to work from home due to

franckreporter | E+ | Getty Images College students whose parents have lost their jobs could be facing more pain next year. That’s because their financial aid packages could fall far short of what they need to cover the cost of their education. On Oct. 1, students can start filling out the Free Application for Federal

CasarsaGuru | E+ | Getty Images This fall’s back-to-school shopping list certainly isn’t looking like those of years past. With many schools across the country going virtual, or offering part-time distant learning, parents are rethinking what their kids will need as the school year gets underway. “We’re being forced to really look at how we

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at a June 25 campaign event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Mark Makela | Reuters Health insurance for the nation’s older population could undergo some changes if Joe Biden wins the presidential election in November. The Democrat nominee wants to expand both Medicare coverage and eligibility for the program, as well

Former Vice President Joe Biden, Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during the Democratic National Convention at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images Joe Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night, which could be the beginning of a series of reforms for

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Yuma International Airport in Arizona on Aug. 18. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images Employers and payroll companies have less than two weeks to put President Donald Trump’s payroll tax deferral in place. It’s looking like an uphill battle. The president signed an executive order on

Unemployed Kentucky residents enter the Kentucky Career Center for help with their unemployment claims on June 19, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. John Sommers II/Getty Images Kentucky and Montana It appears just two states — Kentucky and Montana — are opting to pay $400 instead of $300. As of Thursday, Montana was the only state to implement the

Even as the pandemic rages on, many eviction protections are coming to an end. No-Mad | iStock | Getty Images President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he didn’t want people evicted during the pandemic and that his executive action “will solve that problem largely, hopefully completely.”  Experts disagreed, since the president was only

People wait for their numbers to be called at an unemployment event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 15, 2020. Photo by Nick Oxford for The Washington Post via Getty Images Some workers got an extra $300 in unemployment benefits this week. That aid will start flowing to others in coming days.  But thousands of out-of-work

Paul Hennessy | NurPhoto | Getty Images You may already know that your payroll taxes help fund Medicare, which you’re generally eligible for at age 65. That doesn’t let you off the hook for further outlays once you sign up, however. Depending on the particulars of your coverage and how often you use the health-care system,

Carlos Ponce joins other demonstrators participating in a protest asking Senators to support the continuation of unemployment benefits on July 16, 2020 in Miami Springs, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Workers in a handful of states may soon see a $300-a-week bump in their unemployment benefits. The federal government has approved funding for seven

Former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., hold a press conference after a briefing on Covid-19 in Wilmington, Delaware, on Aug. 13, 2020. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The coronavirus pandemic could have a big impact on Social Security’s financial prospects. And that

Democratic presidential nominee and former US Vice President Joe Biden introduces his vice presidential running mate, US Senator Kamala Harris, during their first press conference together in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 12, 2020. Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images Though former vice president Joe Biden has proposed raising taxes on the wealthiest households, accountants

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he leaves the White House for a trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin August 17. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) A $300-a-week federal boost to unemployment benefits may end shortly after it starts. In some states, recipients may only get three weeks’ worth of payments — if they get it at

For a program that seems to have clear-cut limits for eligibility, stimulus checks appear to have puzzled a lot of people. Part of the problem was determining eligibility, says Aaron Klein, a fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, a non-partisan research group in Washington, D.C. “The structure of the stimulus payment is this

Entrepreneurs who received up to $10,000 in federal grants and took a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan as well are in for a surprise: They won’t be getting the full loan forgiveness they had hoped for. The CARES Act offered small businesses a couple of lifelines this spring. First, it established an emergency grant program,

“I really liked the job,” Alridge, 37, said. “I was able to put away a lot of money over the last two years; we were saving to buy an apartment.” Source: Matthew Aldridge When Matthew Aldrige was furloughed in March from his job as a server at La Pizza & La Pasta, an Italian restaurant

President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 3. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) President Donald Trump is “ready to send” more coronavirus stimulus money. But it remains unclear if that is enough to move stalled Congressional negotiations forward so that Americans can see more money in their pockets. On Friday, Trump

Depending on your health coverage, you could see a rebate from your insurer in the coming months. While such paybacks are issued yearly, the 2020 aggregate amount is anticipated to be $2 billion — about twice what it was last year, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Insurer profitability has

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Congress is at an impasse when it comes to how to help millions of Americans recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, a  report from Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee of Congress shows that one group — workers age 55 and older — are

Some Americans may still be recovering from the disappointment they felt after receiving stimulus checks for less than anticipated. One particular cohort that may have received reduced checks: those who were due $500 payments for children under age 17. The U.S. government rushed out $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans this spring after Congress passed the

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Capitol Hill has come to a standstill following heated discussions last week on what to include in the next coronavirus stimulus package. One thing they did seem to agree on was another set of $1,200 checks to Americans, similar to the payments that went out this spring. While Treasury Secretary

RichLegg | E+ | Getty Images Racial and economic inequities have long existed in America’s school systems, and it’s about to get worse, experts warn. With coronavirus cases still high around the country, half of U.S. elementary and high school students will attend school only virtually this fall, according to a study by Burbio, which

President Donald Trump speaks at an Aug. 10 White House news conference. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images An extra $400 Trump’s executive order was one of four measures signed on Saturday to address jobless benefits, evictions, student loans and payroll taxes. Top Democratic lawmakers and White House officials have struggled to

seksan Mongkhonkhamsao Americans should be wary of fraud as Washington lawmakers debate the contours of another round of potential financial relief, according to an alert issued Tuesday by the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers should be cautious of solicitations asking them to pay for access to certain financial assistance, like stimulus checks and job opportunities, according

Justin Horrocks | Vetta | Getty Images You probably heard that President Trump signed an executive order to provide an extra $400 a week in unemployment benefits. Be aware that it’s not a done deal. And, based on the contents of a Department of Labor memo sent out Sunday and reviewed by CNBC, that amount

President Donald Trump signs executive orders extending coronavirus economic relief in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 8. JIM WATSON | AFP | Getty Images Trump’s executive order has already been called unconstitutional, and higher-education expert Mark Kantrowitz said he believes the president doesn’t have the legal authority to implement a payment pause and interest waiver